Double-scale tracker.



P. WENN.

DOUBLE SCALE TRACKER.

AEPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 5,1908.

il 23,0492 Patented Dec. 29, 1914.,

8 jim/15755 'entren WE'LLN, G3? WORCESTER, MASSACLIUSETES, ASS'GNOB, BY MESNE SSIGN '1 EO LAVURENGE IYIAXYTELL, 0F CINCINNAT, QHO.

DOUBLE-SGE TRACKER.

Application filed September 5, 1905.

To all whom t may conce/m.-

Be it known that l, PETER llfEnIr-i, a citzen of the United States, residing at Worries ter7 in the county ot' l/Vorcester and State of llassachusetts, have invented a new and useful -Double-ificalc Tracker, of vhich the following is a specification. A

This invention relates to that class dil niechenical musical instruments in Which the operation of the saine is controlled by a` traveling music-sheet.

-More specifically it relates to that type of said instruments in which music sheets hay7H ing ditlerent ranges are desired to be eniployed. At present there are music sheets having` a range of eighty-eight notes, and the ordinary sheets hei/ing a range of sixtyn live notes.

The principal objects or" this invention are to provide a simple and conrenient construction of tracker on which both kinds of music sheets can be employed without necessitating any complicated manipulation of 'the parts to make the change; and to provide a construction in which there will be no leakage. on account of the movable elements necessary to malte the change from one scale to theother.

Another feature of tno invention is the form of the tracker itsel'l or the front plate thereof.) which is shaped that although it has a double line of note channels, yet the surface over which the paper nieves `will not be materially increased over the surface dinarily present in single scale trackers.

The invention also involves certain iinprovernents in features of construction and combinations of parts as will appear here.- inal'ter.

lie'ferenceis to oe had to the acconnvanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation ol" a tracker-- box showing one forni in which this invention :nay/1'r be applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a similar View of portion of the tracker on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a central transverse sectional view ol" the saine; li a plan ot the connecting plates used for the air tubes, and Fig: 5 is sectional vieur oti the same.

The invention is shown nfs applied to a tracker-box l0 having the usual music end talee-up rolls ll `and As usual the main portions of this boi; arev constructed rigidly and the boards or platos 13 at the back come Patented Bec.

Serial No. lll.

stationary inernber let constitutinga pat of the tracker. This Stationary member is provided with tiro longitudinal sets of perforations l5 and 16. ln one of these sets there are preferably `sixty-flve perforation@ and in the other eighty-eight. lfhe ytive perforations are preferably arranged in two rows as is Well understood in practice, being staggered so that they can be contained in a' longitudinal space substantially equal to the length ot the correspondinfAT roe' channels in the tracker. The perforatiens l5 are shown es being arranged in three rows, because in each there are a larger number of channels and they occupy a smaller space. The several L erl'orations the back of the member lei are connected by means of lead or other tubes l? with a pair oli channel plates lo. These two plates together are provided with perforations equal to the number of lead pipes entering thorn, and consequently to the number of perforations l5 and lb combined. Below each plate i8 is another plate l@ having a smaller number of perforations l90 lfhe number of pcrorations in the tivo plates lll is equal to the number in the larger set of' pertora` tions in the tracker, in this case eighty- Sorne of the perforations i90 Vconiu municate with tivo perorations O in the upper plate,'and others communicate with only one. lt 1will readily be understood that the connections may be so arranged that each perforation 1G of the smaller series can be connected by its lead pipe l? with a perforation 2O corresponding with the perforation l5 of the other series controlling` the same note, and consequently there will ce only' one series of pipes 3l or other connections roro the perforations i9 to the action.

For communicating with the pertoratlnns l5 and 1G the tracker is provided with an outer or front movable member This member is provided with two series of chaunels o?) and 24 corresponding respectively to the periorations vl5 and lli. The channels in cach series at the front oi the movable member are located in longitudinal alineuient.. but 'the member, or plate is ijicrto4 rated in such a man@ the th 'e when they extend through .le rear are located in the sume relative po each serios :is the porl'orations 'l5 :ind lill ut lio 23 are oifsetslightly @the 'channels of the series 24, so that-When bearing between them. As the plate slides,

groove 32 on the front thereof mi '50 tracker and from the' rear. ends oi' the plate or member 22 is moved to such position along the stationary member la that 'the channels register with the perforations l5, all of the channels 24 Will be out of registration with the perforations 16, and

whenthe plate is slidalong so as to bring the channels 24 into registration IWith the perforations 16 the channels Will be out of registration with the'perforations l5,

and consequently willbe closed.

In addition toA the regular note channels in the series 23 and 24, each one is prefer- Y ably provided with two or more additional accenting or modulating channels 25 at the ends, these their forward ends slightly 1n advance ofthe Y forward edges of the note channels of that row.

The front plate 22 is provided with a series of countersunk slots 26 having shoul- 'ders'27 at the bottom of the counter-sinks.

Each slot is preferably arranged longitudinally, -and from the front of the stationary member studs oreserews 28 having-springs 29 thereon the under sides ofthe heads and the fronts of said shoulders. These slots are' counter-sunk to suoli a depth that the studs are 'substantially contained With-in the springs 29, through Washers 30v bear on the shoulders 27. 'lhis holds the plate firmly against the stationary member. l

In order to provide against leakage a sheet 31 'of flexible material, preferably of rubber, is located between the two members 14 and 22, and lined to one of them, preferably* the stationary one. This' sheet is pro- 'vided with perforaticns registering with member to which it.

the` perforations of the is attached, and on account of the nature of the material, it permits the sliding motion to take place andat the same time prevents aleakage.

ltl will be observed that the front plate or member 22 is provided `with a lon itudirgal Way etWeen the two series of channels. provided fortwo purposes, first, to 'reduce the surface along which the .note sheet must come into contact with the tracker, thus permitting it to be moved along' the same more readily'than would be the case if the sheet were held against the larger surface. This of lthe tWo rows of tracker channels which `necessarily increase the width of the tracker.

The other vobject of this channel is to per mit the studs to bc contained Within the yetbc accessible from the front Without bringing; them into such position thatthey can come into contact with the note sheet.' It will be understood, ofcourse,

preferably being located With` project' a' series i of headed This is.

stationary part of the tracker-box and projects into such position that it will indicate on the scale which kind of a note sheet is to be employed with the tracker in that -position. l

The sides of the tracker-box are provided with recesses 35 and the ends of the movable member of the tracker project into the same in all positions thereof, so that no matter Where the tracker isadj'usted there will be no l'isible space between the end of the tracker and the edge of the trackcrbox.

ln order to provide for moving the tracker, one end of the same has a projecting arm 36 extending through the end ofthe tracker box, and to this is connected-a lever 3T which is'pivotally supported at one end by a stud 38 on the outside of the box, and which is connected with a screw 39 at the other end which passes through a fixed nut Ll() in the side of the tracker, rlhe screw is threaded into a rod il with the lever, and the screw Gis also provide-:l with a head e2 on the inside of the box. On account of the slou7 motion imparted by the screw, the plate 22 can be moved readily in spite of the opposition due to the spring pressed studs.

One of Athe recesses 3o in the side ofthe .tracker extends clear through the same, and it is through" this that the tracker plate 22 is introduced when. the machine set up.

While l have shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, I am aware that many modifications may bemade therein by any without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore I do not wish to be limited to all the detailsv shown and described, but

vVi/'l'iat l do claim is l. A tracker fora mechanical. musical instrunient comprising a stationary member. having two sets of channels therethrough., one having cightyeight channelsl and the othersiXty-live, the eighty-eight channels being arranged in three longitudinal rows and the siXty-ivechannels in two rows, and a sliding plate having two rows of openings on the front side and two sets of*- openings on the rear each communicating the plate with one of those on the front, said rear openings or each setbeing located in the same relative positions as the channels in the corresponding set rof the stationary Lmember, but those of the two sets as a. Whole being sol located with respect to each other pivotally' connected 9 person skilled in the art through rac that both sets of those of the sliding plate will notregister at the same time with both sets of channels in the stationary member.

2. A tracker fora mechanical musical instrument comprising a stationary member 'having two sets of channels therethrough, and a sliding member .slidably mounted on the lfront of the stationary member, andv having two rows ot' channels' adapted to register respectively with the first mentioned sets of channels, and yielding means for holding said sliding member in close contact with the stationary member comprising headed studs projecting from the front of the stationary member said sliding z member having counter-suntv slots for receiving the studs andl springs bearing on the heads of the studs and 'on the shoulders of the countersunk` slots.'

3. A tracker for" a musical instrument 'comprising a lmember having two sets ot' plate. f

The combination with a tracker box, and a stationary member provided with. channels, said tracker box having two opposite recesses in its ends, of a channeled tracker plate movable along the front of said' member', vand projecting at its ends into both ot' said recesses in all;I its positions, and means-mounted on the tracker box for sliding said plate.

6. The combination with a tracker box and a tracker member provided with channels, said tracker box having two opposite recesses in vits ends, one of lthem extending clear through the end', of a tracker plate movable along the iront of said tracker member and projecting at its ends into both 'of saidfrecesses in all its positions, whereby A it can be adjusted back and forth ,without disclosing its end from the front and whereby it canv be inserted in place from the end.

7 A tracker for a musical instrument comprising a stationary'member having two sets of channels, a longitudinally sliding front plate having two sets of channels therein adaptedto register respectively with the first mentioned sets of channels in dii'- terent positions oit' the sliding plate, means for sliding said plate longitudinally on the stationary member to bring either of its sets.

of channels into communication with, oneof the sets-of channels in said member, and means for guiding the sliding front plate to move in a true longitudinal direction.

8; A' tracker foi-"a mechanical,musical instrument comprising astationary member having two sets of channels therethrough, a sliding member slidably mounted on the front oit the stationary member and having two rows of channels adapted to register respectively with tlie first mentioned sets o'll channels lin ditl'erent positions of the sliding member,- and means for holding said sliding member in close contact with the stationary member comprising headed studs projecting trom the front ot'- th'e stationary member,

said sliding member having counter-sunk slots for receiving the heads of said studs.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand, in the. presence ot' two subscribing witnesses.

PETER Y\VELll`-l.

Nitnessesz ALBERT E. FAY, C. Fonnns'r Wasson. 

